2 files changed, 59 insertions, 0 deletions

diff --git a/documentation/dev-manual/dev-manual-common-tasks.xml b/documentation/dev-manual/dev-manual-common-tasks.xml
index fe1bfba6cf..0cb967f053 100644
--- a/documentation/dev-manual/dev-manual-common-tasks.xml
+++ b/documentation/dev-manual/dev-manual-common-tasks.xml
@@ -15072,6 +15072,31 @@
                 </para>
             </section>
         </section>
+
+        <section id='copying-licenses-that-do-not-exist'>
+            <title>Copying Licenses that Do Not Exist</title>
+
+            <para>
+                Some packages, such as the linux-firmware package, have many
+                licenses that are not in any way common.
+                You can avoid adding a lot of these types of common license
+                files, which are only applicable to a specific package, by using
+                the
+                <ulink url='&YOCTO_DOCS_REF_URL;#var-NO_GENERIC_LICENSE'><filename>NO_GENERIC_LICENSE</filename></ulink>
+                variable.
+                Using this variable also avoids QA errors when you use a
+                non-common, non-CLOSED license in a recipe.
+            </para>
+
+            <para>
+                The following is an example that uses the
+                <filename>LICENSE.Abilis.txt</filename>
+                file as the license from the fetched source:
+                <literallayout class='monospaced'>
+     NO_GENERIC_LICENSE[Firmware-Abilis] = "LICENSE.Abilis.txt"
+                </literallayout>
+            </para>
+        </section>
     </section>
 
     <section id='using-the-error-reporting-tool'>
diff --git a/documentation/ref-manual/ref-variables.xml b/documentation/ref-manual/ref-variables.xml
index 1c55a92d15..2465553010 100644
--- a/documentation/ref-manual/ref-variables.xml
+++ b/documentation/ref-manual/ref-variables.xml
@@ -9011,6 +9011,40 @@ recipes-graphics/xorg-font/font-alias_1.0.3.bb:PR = "${INC_PR}.3"
             </glossdef>
         </glossentry>
 
+        <glossentry id='var-NO_GENERIC_LICENSE'><glossterm>NO_GENERIC_LICENSE</glossterm>
+            <info>
+                NO_GENERIC_LICENSE[doc] = "Used to allow copying a license that does not exist in common licenses."
+            </info>
+            <glossdef>
+                <para role="glossdeffirst">
+<!--                <para role="glossdeffirst"><imagedata fileref="figures/define-generic.png" /> -->
+                    Avoids QA errors when you use a non-common, non-CLOSED
+                    license in a recipe.
+                    Packages exist, such as the linux-firmware package, with
+                    many licenses that are not in any way common.
+                    Also, new licenses are added occasionally to avoid
+                    introducing a lot of common license files, which are only
+                    applicable to a specific package.
+                    <filename>NO_GENERIC_LICENSE</filename> is used to allow
+                    copying a license that does not exist in common licenses.
+                </para>
+
+                <para>
+                    The following example shows how to add
+                    <filename>NO_GENERIC_LICENSE</filename> to a recipe:
+                    <literallayout class='monospaced'>
+     NO_GENERIC_LICENSE[<replaceable>license_name</replaceable>] = "<replaceable>license_file_in_fetched_source</replaceable>"
+                    </literallayout>
+                    The following is an example that uses the
+                    <filename>LICENSE.Abilis.txt</filename> file as the license
+                    from the fetched source:
+                    <literallayout class='monospaced'>
+     NO_GENERIC_LICENSE[Firmware-Abilis] = "LICENSE.Abilis.txt"
+                    </literallayout>
+                </para>
+            </glossdef>
+        </glossentry>
+
         <glossentry id='var-NO_RECOMMENDATIONS'><glossterm>NO_RECOMMENDATIONS</glossterm>
             <info>
                 NO_RECOMMENDATIONS[doc] = "When set to '1', no recommended packages will be installed. Some recommended packages might be required for certain system functionality, such as kernel-modules. It is up to the user to add packages to IMAGE_INSTALL as needed."